JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Australian Government has welcomed the Indonesian Parliament’s decision to approve Indonesia’s accession to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), the Australian Embassy said in its website.

Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said Indonesia’s decision meant that only eight more nuclear technology countries needed to ratify the CTBT to bring a global ban on nuclear weapon testing into force.

"This decision further attests to Indonesia’s strong practical commitment to disarmament and will lend new impetus to efforts to universalise the CTBT, especially given Indonesia’s role as the Non-Aligned Movement’s Coordinator for Disarmament," Rudd was quoted as saying by the Australian Embassy here on Wednesday.

"The CTBT in force would represent not just a barrier to further nuclear weapons development, but also a significant confidence-building measure in regions where tensions and the potential for costly and dangerous arms races are high.

"Australia calls on all states yet to ratify the CTBT to follow Indonesia’s lead and to do so at the earliest opportunity."

Australia is a long-time supporter of the CTBT and its verification regime. Australia hosts 21 monitoring facilities, the third-largest number of any state in the world, and supports the CTBT Organization in developing on-site inspection and verification procedures.